When Caribbean community leaders meet in St. Kitts for three days from February 24, the long list of agenda items will, of necessity, include, among other issues, a major review of the situation in Haiti as well as the unrelenting pressure the Trump administration is placing on a region which has never been hostile to the U.S.
Over the weekend, the mandate of the transitional presidential council (TPC), which leaders had helped to set up more than two years ago, came to an end. The council had been established at an emergency regional meeting in Jamaica in early 2024 as heavily armed gangs were threatening to take full control of large parts of the capital and other areas.
Now, with a Kenya-led international force engaging in epic battles with some of the gangs, the task of running the country, until fresh elections sometime in the coming months, has been handed to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as mandated by the constitution.
And because there have been no free and fair elections since 2016, the PM will once again be presiding over Caricom’s most populous and strife-torn member state as a wholly unelected head of state, as the mandate of all elected officials in the country has long expired. His cabinet will also consist of unelected members and will run the country with unchecked power until elections are held.
Addressing the country over the weekend, PM Didier Fils-Aimé called for stability and support from the nation and key stakeholders.
“The time for coming together has come. The state is reclaiming its place. Life must go on. Haiti will not perish. Aware of the stakes, the government I lead is getting to work, and the prerogatives granted to the executive will be scrupulously exercised in respect of the institutions and in the higher interest of the nation,” he said.
The PM took office after surviving a spirited effort by some former council members to dismiss him just days before the February 7 expiration of its mandate.
Fearful of a new round of political instability that could trigger mass migration northwards, Washington deployed a guided missile destroyer and two coastguard support vessels to the bay of Port au Prince as it appeared to send a message to local stakeholders not interested in the PM taking power and to gangs who might have entertained any notions of capitalizing on any political instability and uncertainty.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the governments of some Western nations also threw their open support behind the PM and his cabinet while reiterating the need for stability as they monitored efforts by some council members to oust the PM before February 7 and to install their own version of governance going forward.
“The U.S. maintains its unwavering support for Haiti’s stability and security. We view the recent announcement by the council as illegal. Haitian Prime Minister Alix Fils-Aimé’s tenure remains integral to advancing efforts to combat terrorist gangs and stabilize the country,” the State Department said bluntly in a social media post.
As leaders prepare to meet in the Eastern Caribbean, it is not yet clear if the Haitian prime minister will attend the summit and lay out his plans as to how he will secure the nation from gangs and when he will organize the first free elections since 2016.
Caricom has been interfacing with Haitian stakeholders and the governing council through three former prime ministers sitting on an eminent persons or ‘wise men’ group, trying to broker peace while nudging the governance process along. Headed by former St. Lucian prime minister Kenneth Anthony, the group will be represented at the summit.
Holding out hope for the future as gang members shoot at planes operating near the main airport, the PM appears to be selling hope more than anything else.
“The presidential council has fulfilled its mission by paving the way for a governance focused on security and electoral reforms. Today, we are aware of the challenges and the government that I have the honor to lead will get to work,” he said.
Some of those who had tried to oust him to prevent the constitution from working either stayed away from the muted inauguration weekend ceremony or popped in briefly before leaving as the U.S. warships remained in the bay.
Before leaders had intervened, Western nations, the UN, and friendly nations had worked on setting up the council, and unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry had run the country with American backing before he was eventually forced out and replaced by the interim administration.